All i could do is scream and thrash as andy held tightly to me, stopping me from shifting and killing jasper.
He killed her! He just fucking killed my best friend, my lover, my everything! Jane had been the only constant in my life for the last seventeen years. All my life it had been jane and i, every scrapped knee, every heartbreak, every laugh, everything that had happened in my life happened with jane. She was the other half of my soul, my bestfriend soul mate, jane was my everything.
Now, watching her life's blood seep out across the cement all i could see is our lives together flash before my eyes. Every laugh, every tear, every hug and kiss, all of it gone in a flash.
"You fucking murderer!" i screamed, trying to rip myself out of andy's grasp. "You just fucking killed her for no god damn reason!"
Jasper's wolf stepped over jane's lifeless body and towards us. I could hear him through the packs mind link, "this is your fault, you are the one who fell into temptation and fucked the demon bitch"
"That doesnt give you the right to kill her!" i sobbed. The crushing weight of his words and the pain became to much and i crumpled to the ground. All i wanted was to disappear, to slip away into nothingness, maybe then i could be back with my best friend.
"Whether they broke some stupid law of your packs or not that does not give you the right to kill anybody, especially someone outside of your pack" andy snapped, leaning over me.
"I have every right to punish someone who put their disgusting hands on my mate" jasper growled through the mind link.
"Kari, kari, baby come on, let me take you away from here. I will make sure jane's body is properly cared for, but right now i need to get you away from here" andy said, softly, his hands rubbing small circles into my arms. I shook my head. No, i didnt want to leave, i wanted to stay here and be with my jane, to hold her and tell her everything was going to be ok.
I hear andy sigh and then his arms were underneath of me again, lifting me up into the air, holding me tightly to his chest. "I will be placing a call to the elders and seeing that you are properly punished for ending an innocent life" for the first time i could hear the anger in andy's voice. Whether it was because i was hurting or because he had just watch a murder i wasnt sure, but it was actually a little comforting to know i wasnt the only one pissed off right now.
Andy turned and started walking away from the carnage, making sure to keep my face pressed firmly into his chest as i sobbed.
"Where the fuck do you think your going with my-"
"She is not your mate! She rejected you! And now, after killing her best friend you really think she will stay with you?" andy had turned back and faced a human jasper. "No, no, i am taking kari back to the coven house, where she will be kept as far away from you as possible. You will never see my mate again" he said putting extra emphasis on the word "my".
"You cant do that. The goddess chose kari for me, and me alone"
"Gods your stupider than i thought. If the goddess chose kari just for you then i would not havve been able to mark her, dumbass" with that andy tucked me in tighter to his chest and started running.
Every instinct in my body told me to make him let me go so i could go back to my best friend, but the rational part of me knew that it was pointless. Jane was gone, gone forever. She was never coming back.
How was i going to tell her parents? Oh gods, mark and ally were going to hate me. It's my fault jane is dead, if i would have just followed the werewolf way and not fallen into temptation none of this would have happened. My best friend would still be alive and well, instead of dead in the street.
"Stop it" andy said. I pulled back slightly and glanced up at him as he ran. "You forget i can hear your thoughts now, kari. None of this is your fault. Your allowed to be with who you want to be with"
I shook my head, "no, it is my fault, if i would have just listened to the rules-"
"You would be miserable or dead" he interupted.
"Put me down, now" i snapped. All of pain slowly turning to anger, anger at myself for letting things get this out of control, and anger at andy for opening his damn mouth, if he would of just kept his mouth shut none of this would have happened. Jasper wouldnt of known about jane and i if andy wouldnt of said anything.
"Baby, i will put you down as soon as we-"
I shoved hard at hs chest with both hands, trying to put some distance between us and make him stop running. It had some what of the desired effect; andy lost his grip and i went tumbling to the ground. I rolled a few feet, the cement ripping up my knees and pullingat my dress causing it to tear.
"What the hell?" andy hollered coming to a stop beside me on the ground.
Groaning i pushed myself up into a sitting position. "This is your fault, not mine, if you would have just kepty your mouth shut none of this would have happened" i glared up at my mate, the one person who was always supposed to be on my side and protect me. The one person who is at fault for my pain.
He starred back at me shocked at my harsh words. "I'm not the one who killed jane, kari"
"No, your right, your just the one who opened your fucking mouth and got her killed!" i rorared, climbing to my feet and squaring off with andy. "Jasper had no idea abouit my sexuality untill you opened your stupid ass mouth"
"There is no way in hell jasper didnt know, no matter how thick he is" andy said, armns crossed over his chest.
I threw my arms up in the air, exasperated, "for the love of all the gods, how stupid can a person be? If jasper would have known before hand do you really think he would of acted the way he did? Dont you think i would have been banished by now if he knew? Do you even use your brain" i screamed in andy's face.
I could see the anger starting to rise up in andy, his muscles strained and his jaw clenched. "You had just rejected him, if he hadnt of killed jane then he probably would have killed you" he grunted through gritted teeth.
"I would rather be dead!" i screamed so loud and hard that my throat hurt.
"And where would that put jane? You think that trading lives with her would really stop all the pain?" he snapped back.
I stumbled back slightly, the thought not even occurring to me. If jane had been in my shoes she would be in the same state as me, her parents would be grieving my loss as well. My parents probably wouldnt even have cared if i died, but jane, mark and ally would be destroyed.
"You see, trading your life for hers wouldnt fix anything, in the end someone would still be in pain" he said, his voice calmer now.
Andy reached out a hand to place on my shoulder but i backed away out of reach, the thought of him touching me again was repulsive. Fuck the mate bond, i needed to get far away from him, from everything. "Stay away from me, just stay the hell away from me." i said, taking more steps backwards.
I had to get some distance, i had to think away from all of this bullshit, i needed to grieve. I turned and ran, leaping into the air and shifting mid-stride into my light brown furred wolf. Andy didnt try to chase me, he stayed right where he was, but i could feel him in my head, i could feel him keeping tabs on me as i ran.
I ran and ran, not keeping track of where or how far i was going, just needing some distance and time to think. My mate, my rejected mate had just killed my best friend and the other mate ib was supposed to reject had just marked me as his.
My best friend is dead.
Jane is dead.
Those words kept ringing through my head, screaming at me. How am i supposed to keep on going with out her? How am i supposed to keep living? How am i supposed to go on and be happy and have a fulfilling life with my mate without my best friend by my side? Who is supposed to be my maid of honor now? Who is supposed to be the godmother of my pups? Who is supposed to help me through the fights and hardships? Who is supposed to hold me as i cry? Who else is going to be there to enjoy my stupid jokes? Or bicker with me? Who else is going to understand and laugh at my corny jokes?
Jane was more than just my best friend and the person who helped me come out of the closet, she was everything to me, and now she was gone. She was gone adn there was never going to be a way to replace her.
I stopped and let out the most gut wrenching howl, putting all of my pain and heartbreak into that single sound.
That was three months ago, ever since i have been wondering outside the reservations, an outcast. Without special permission from alpha miller, which i knew there was no way i would get, there was no way to get back on the rez. So instead i wonderede the forests, doing my best to stay away from any mortal hunters or trappers who would love to get their hands on a werewolf for the reward money.
There werre a couple close calls when a trapper almost got me, at one point i was hunting down a deer when i heard a gunshot go off, the bullet lodged in my leg. I bolted and shifted, climbing a tree and hiding in it, naked, cold and bleeding for days before i finally felt it was safe enough to get down. I managed to find the hunters camp and raid it while they were gone, getting the bullet out fo my leg and wrapping it up before stealing some clothes and bolting.
It took two aganizing wqeeks to heal up from the bullet wound, i had to make my self a make-shift crutch out of a fallen branch so that i could move around.
I cant tell you how far i traveled, spending most of my time in my wolf form so that i could travel faster, all i know is i finally managed to make it to the ocean about a month after my foot finally healed. I shifted back into my human form deep in the trees and ran, butt ass naked straight to the water. Diving in head first, loving the feel of the salty water stinging in all of my cuts and scrapes.
I was so wrapped up in the idea of finally being clean i didnt even notice the shift in the air.
I dove back under the water, making sure to keep my eyes closed. After a few seconds i came back up for air. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to untangle it and get smoke of the twigs and leaves out.
"Who the fuck are you?" i froze mid through pulling a twig out of a very large knot. "I said who the fuck are you?" the voice called again.
Slowly i turned back to face the beach. Standing on the shore was a tall blonde woman, she had a fierce look on her face that told me i was in deep shit.
I cleared my throat and said "kari reeves" well shit, that did not come out as loudly as i had hoped. "Kari reeves" i said again, but this time a lot louder.
Only a couple of yards separated us so i saw the look of surprise cross the womans face before going back to her stony mask.
"Well, kari, you've crossed into Baywatch pack territory"
Fuck. i had spent the last three months making sure to stay out of pack lands only to stumble onto one. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I took a shaky breath, "sorry about that, i'll leave"
I was sitting down in the water, the ocean coming up to my shoulder blades, just high enough to cover my breasts. My hope was that by saying i would leave the woman would go away, but it didn't seem to be working. The woman crossed her arms over her chest and glared daggers at me.
I sighed and slowly stood up, not caring about modesty or covering myself, and waded towards the shore, making sure to keep my hands visible and at my sides the whole time.
"I didn't mean to cross into your pack territory, i swear. I was just excited to see the water and get cleaned up" i made sure to keep my voice level and calm, deciding the truth was my best bet.
"Mistake or not, Miss. Reeves, you are still a rogue on Baywatch land and that means i have to take you to the alpha" yep, i am officially fucked.
"Is there any possible way to, you know, get out of being taken to the alpha?" I asked even though i knew there wasnt. Ancient law dictated that all rogues be taken to the alpha or coven leader to be dealt with accordingly.
Normally i wouldnt care but by now i knew jasper and andy must have put the word out to the other packs that i had run off. So not only would i be treated as a rogue and severely punished, i also rejected my mate which means i could be chained to a tree and left for the hunters ive been avoiding.
She shook her head as I stepped onto the sandy beach. "Sorry, but you know the law" have i mentioned yet that i am totally fucked? Cause i am.
She gestured for me to walk infront of her, i sighed and started walking.
"The problem is im kinda running from someone and i would prefer they dont know im here-"
"I know exactly who your running from and honestly i think your despicable. Your poor mate has been searching every where for you and your running from him?" she said.
I spun on my heels to face her, "excuse me? You knopw nothing about me or my mate"
"I know that he has been to every pack in the country looking for you, i know that the poor man looks like he hasnt slept since you ran away from him over three months ago, hell i dont think he's fed either" she snapped back.
"Wait did you say fed?" i asked, perplexed.
"Yeah, fed, as in drank any blood. Jesus, Mr. Karis said you were smart" she rolled her eyes. That meant that jasper wasnt the one looking for me, it was andy. My heart fluttered at the idea of seeing andy again, of being back in his loving arms.
I quickly pushed those thoughts away and tried my best to hide the look of surprise on my face.
"Who esle would be looking for you if not your mate?" she asked. Ok, so apparently i wasnt as good at schooling my looks as she was.
I shook my head, "i dont know, maybe my family" i lied. Ok, not a total lie, im sure that mark and ally would be looking for me. My parent on the other hand probably threw a party when they found out i was no longer on the rez to "embarrass" them.
"I'm sure they are, but Mr. Karis is the one who has been scouring the country. Hopefully the alpha can get word to him before he leaves to go over seas"
"Over seas?" i asked.
"Gods, your thick. Yes, word is your mate has been to every reservation in the united states and mexico and is now heading to europe in hopes of finding you there" she said with an eye roll. Wow, andy was really putting in alot of effort trying to find me. My chest started to hurt at the thought of how much pain he must be in, of how many sleepless nights and false hope he must of had in his search. "Now start walking, and here, we dont need your mate killing anyone if he finds out you were walking through the reservation completely naked" she said taking off her over sized baby yoda hoody and handing it to me.
I gave her a small grateful smile and pulled it on over my head. I decided that this girl actually wasnt to bad, all she was doing is following orders.
As soon as i had the hoodie on and seacurely over my ass we started waklking again, my hands barried in the big pocket at the front of the hoodie, trying to warm them up. There was a slight chill in the air that told me autumn had finally arrived, driving away the summer heat and bringing with it some semblance of relief.
"You can call me kari by the way" i said after a few minutes of silent walking.
"Martha" she said in a clipped voice.
"Look, i know you probably think the worst of me for running off on my mate but you dont know the whole story-"
"Nothing can excuse what you've done to the poor man" martha snapped.
"Did my 'poor mate' tell you that i actually have two mates and the other one killed my best friend before i ran" i snapped back.
"You only get one mate, nice try" she said. I could actually hear the eye roll in her voice.
"Whether you believe me about the mate thing or not, my best friend was murdere3d right infront of me" iground out through gritted teeth. Of course she didnt believe me about the two mates thing, hell i still dont believe it entirely myself.
"Look, i'm sorry about your best friend, but thats still not a reason to run fron your mate like you did. When something like that happens you should be running towards him, not away" martha said.
I shook ym head, obviously there was no way i was going to get through to her, not without getting myself in even more trouble.
We walked the length of the beach until we got to a very large mansion, surrounded by a small copse of trees. The mansion was stormy grey to match the ocean waves, with windows indicating the four floors. Outside was a circular driveway full of cars, thankfully nojne of them looked familiar to me.
"Andy isnt here still?" i asked, not being able to stop from sounding a little upset.
"You know for someone who ran from her mate you sound genuinely upset he isnt here" martha remarked. "Come on, i'll take you uipstairs to get a change of clothes and a shower before you meet with the alpha. We will have to sneak in the back way though or else you'll be brought before them right away"
I gave martha a small smile, "thank you"
She nodded and lead me around to the side of the house and to a door that opened up straight to a set of stairs. We took the stairs up two flights and through another door that opened up to a landing carpeted in dark velvety red. I could tell just from the hallway that Baywatch was one of the few richer reservations. The walls were painted a cream color with black trim, dark mahogany tables were scattered about with large vases filled with different kinds of flowers.
"Are all of the floors like this?" i asked in awe. The pack house back home was nothing like this.
"Not exactly like this, no" martha said, her tone of voice made it seem like she wanted to say more but didnt.
We walked to the end of the hall to a set of oak double doors. Martha opened them and gestured me inside. I walked in to what looked like the floors master suite. To one side sat a large t'v on a dresser, infront of that was a small two seater love seat. On the other side of the room, sitting in between two windows was the largest bed i have ever seen, bigger than the normal king and queen size, The bed had a humongous white duvet on it.
"Can i jump on the bed?" ok, so maybe i cant always control the words that come out of my mouth.
Martha froze mid way through opening her mouth to speak, stared at me for a solid second and then burst out laughing. I, on the other hand, turned bright red and wanted to curl up into a ball. Atleast i didnt ask my other question which was something along the lines of "how much fun is it to have sex on that bed?"
"Why dont you take a shower first and then we can see about you jumping on the bed?" martha giggled, wiping imaginary tears from her eyes.
I just nodded still to mortified that my brain to mouth filter failed at the wrong moment, as usual.
"Come on" she lead me to a door on the right side of the room and opened it, revealing a master ensuite. I clamped my lips together so i didnt ask about having sex in the massive shower or the garden tub. Wow, i sure do have alot of sex on the brain right now, maybe i should try to find some unlucky soul to hook up with while im here.
That thought churned my stomach and instantly made me feel ill. Great, so now even the thought of someone else touching me was nauseating, damnit i was never going to get layed again. Stupid ass mate bond.
"Ill grab you some fresh towels and some clothes to put on, help yourself to anything in the shower. Oh and i'll grab you a toothbrush to, i'm sure there wasnt much chance for oral hygeine while on the run" martha added before closing the door of the bathroom.
I looked around at the sparse white walls and took a deep breath, finally letting my guard down for a bit. I walked over to the shower and turned it on, taking in all of the products that were there to use for my hair and body.
I started rummaging around in the cabinets until i found a fresh un-opened razor and then hopped in the shower, making sure to take my time and scrub every inch of my self.
Once i was all scrubbed, conditioned, and shaved i turned off the water and got out of the shower. At some point martha had brought in fresh towels and a change of clothes for me, along with a hairbrush and toothbrush.
I wrapped my hair up in one of the towels then dried off before getting dressed. Martha had found me a pair of spandex black shorts and a loose fitting blue t-shirt along with a pair of tennis shoes that were just a little to big for my small feet. I brushed my teeth thoroughly, loving the feeling of scrubbing asway the months of plaque. I braided my hair back out of my face before exiting the bathroom. Martha was sitting on the bed scrolling through her phone.
She looked up as i walked out and gave me a small smile, "you look like you feel alot better" i nodded and returned her smile. "Come on, the alpha is waiting for us in their office"
We walked out of the bedroom and to the other side of the hall to another large oak door. Martha opened it and gestured me into a spacious office.
Sitting behind a large mahogany desk was a beautiful red headed woman about my age. "Welcome, Miss. Reeves, i am alpha Alissa Kile, i see you have already met my mate Martha"
I stared wide eyed as martha walked over and planted a kiss on the lips of the alpha.